Meanings
verbbreak silence (third-person singular simple present breaks silence, present participle breaking silence, simple past broke silence, past participle broken silence)
present singular third person breaks silence · participle present breaking silence · past broke silence · participle past broken silence
- To breach a norm against communication or against communicating a specific type of information.
Breaking radio silence risked disclosing our presence.
1 more example
They were ostracized for breaking the blue wall of silence about police misconduct.
Cite this entry
APA
break silence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20silence
MLA
“break silence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20silence. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “break silence,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20silence.
Source: break silence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.